Richard Parker's Philosophy
by Starkiller93
Summary: While visiting an old friend at a Night Club, Peter Parker has a run in with Kara Zor-El, the much younger counterpart of his girlfriend Karen Starr. As the two begin to have a private conversation he begins to teach the young girl an important life lesson... (In continuity with The World According to Peter Parker and Karen Starr)


_**Okay, story time. So I was reading a Supergirl trade paperback and there was a moment in the comic where after her three issue adventure with Power Girl and her dealings with high school, she decided to shirk her duties as a hero and just do other activities such as go clubbing and it gave me a idea for a story. Hence this. I know the Supergirl that's in my other story, Spider Man: Apocalypse/Hope and Responsibility, is already based on her "Superman/Batman Apocalypse" counterpart, but here's the thing, I already established in those stories that she had already learned the life lesson of "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility". However, I also established in The World According to Peter Parker and Karen Starr (to which this one shot will be in the same continuity in) that a Supergirl exists in that universe as well...and she has NOT learned that lesson. Therefore I have made a small oneshot where Peter takes the role of his Uncle Ben and delivers his life lesson to the young up and coming hero, and ensure that she doesn't make the same mistakes he made. So why didn't I put this in the World According to Peter Parker and Karen Starr? Well two reasons: One, there's a big story arc going on at the moment and two, someone complained about not having enough chapters of Peter and Karen teaming up together, so I decided that SOME solo Peter and Karen stories I want to tell will just be their own separate stories. Think of them as comic book tie ins that help fill in the gaps. With that said, let's begin.**_

Peter was never the kind of guy who would go clubbing. Hell, he was never invited to any parties back in his college years, but the spider hero was willing to make an exception tonight because he wanted to pay an old friend a visit. Peter had known Mary Jane Watson for almost his whole life. Back in their early years, his Aunt May and Mary Jane's Aunt Anna would always try to bring those two together. The wall crawler will never forget that day when she first set foot at his doorstep. He thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The two tried a hand at a relationship at first, but then they decided if it would be best if they just stayed friends. Peter went on to date Gwen Stacy while Mary Jane decided to date Harry Osborn. After Gwen's death and Mary Jane and Harry's relationship being in shambles, the redhead and the spider hero got closer to each other and eventually decided to have another go at their relationship. However, Peter's life as Spider Man started to put a damper to their plans. Mary Jane had confessed to her then boyfriend one time about having always known about his double life. One night, back in her high school days, she accidently saw Peter, in full Spidey gear, sneak out of the window of his and May's house. Because of her discovery, she was afraid to pursue a relationship with her next door neighbor. She knew of the dangers of dating a superhero. But when she and Peter started to hang out and get to know each other more, she couldn't resist him. She figured, despite the risks, she can somehow make this relationship work…she was wrong. One day Venom came back in town, and was once again determined to ruin both Spider Man and Peter Parker's life…He attacked Aunt May and put her in the hospital. The elderly woman thankfully recovered, and Venom was taken down with some help from the JSA, but this experience made Mary Jane realize something. Even though she's willing to put her own life at risk for Peter, she can't really say the same for the people around her. What if following week her Aunt Anna gets attacked by the Hobgoblin, or one of her friends were getting attacked by the Sinister Six? The redhead couldn't bear having the deaths of her loved ones on her conscience. Therefore she decided to break it off with Peter but will be still be friends with him. Peter, much to his own heartbreak, agreed with Mary Jane's decision. The two of them still talk to each other and keep in touch, although it's been a while since they last spoke to each other. Fast forward to present day where Peter is about to set foot in a nightclub that his now ex-girlfriend had opened up a couple years ago, simply called, "MJ's". The spider hero enters the club and he's instantly bombarded with EDM music he's never heard before, with people dancing, drinking and making out. He makes his way to a small bar where a red haired woman is offering beverages. She has her back turned as she's preparing drinks. Peter sits down in front of the counter

. "And what can I get for you sir?" asks the woman who's back is still turned.

"Yeah, I'll just have a water," says Peter. "I'm just here to talk to a friend so I won't be here long."

The woman stops what she was doing and turns around to see Peter smiling at her. "Peter?" Mary Jane says with a shocked look.

Peter waves at her, "Hey MJ, it's been while."

The red head's shocked face turned into a smirk, "Well, well, I never pegged you as being the kind of guy who goes to parties. Most of the time you're usually hitting the books."

"I just came by to say hi," Peter shrugs. "We haven't spoken to each other in forever. I wanted to check up on you and see if you're okay. Can you blame me?"

"No, no I do not," says Mary Jane as she continues to prepare and offer drinks to her customers. "You were always putting everyone else's well-being before your own. Well, that and you can be very overprotective and paranoid, but that's what I liked about you tiger."

Peter chuckles at that, "Aunt May always told me I worry too much, and don't even get me started with Karen."

"Speaking of whom, does she know you're here?" Mary Jane asks as she leans against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Of course, I called her not too long ago that I would be here," Peter answers. "Besides, out of all of my exes, you're the only one she doesn't mind me being within a ten mile radius with."

Mary Jane chuckles as well.

The redhead was well aware of who her ex's current girlfriend is. In fact, she met her along with the rest of the JSA members while she and Peter were still together. The two were able to hit it off really well, and they became good friends. Mary Jane knew that Karen had a crush on her then boyfriend for quite a while, but she never had to worry about her making a move because, from what she knew about the blonde, she had a good heart and she doesn't seem like the type of person who would backstab her friends. Not long after her big break up with Peter, she noticed that Karen hadn't spoken to her for about a couple weeks. She called Karen to see what was going on but her calls went straight to voice mail. She just chalked it up to her being busy with running her company and being Power Girl…that was until she got a call from Peter. The wall crawler told Mary Jane about Karen's encounter with a supervillain named Psycho Pirate and how he broke the Kryptonian on an emotional level. Peter was able to comfort Karen of her dilemma but then something unexpected happened when he did…She kissed him. Peter told, Mary Jane that ever since that kiss, Karen's been avoiding him for a couple weeks now. It was then that the redhead realized why she hasn't heard from her Kryptonian friend…she was avoiding her too. Karen must have felt bad for kissing her ex and was afraid to face her. In an attempt to patch things up with the blonde, Mary Jane decided to pay an unexpected visit to her apartment and settle things once and for all. Karen was surprised to see Mary Jane at her doorstep, and she couldn't help but gulp when the redhead told her, "We need to talk." This lead to a conversation where Karen told Mary Jane (more like she rambled to her) everything that happened between her and Peter on that fateful day. The redhead gently puts her hand on the blonde woman's shoulder which immediate ceases her rambling and told her, "You have nothing to worry about. Peter and I may be done, but that doesn't mean I don't want to see him happy, and I've seen the look in your eyes whenever you two talk. Don't think I haven't noticed you had your eye on him for a while now. The reason I didn't say anything is because I trust you Karen. You are the kindest most wholesome woman I've ever met. If Peter were to ever find someone else, I would be glad that it's you." Then she asked, "Do you really like him?" To which Karen answered with, "I don't think I've ever felt this way towards someone in my life, so yeah. I do." With that Mary Jane, with a warm smile, says, "Then I say go for it. You're Power Girl for God's sake. NOTHING should be able to stop you. Not even your crush's ex-girlfriend." The redhead had been supporting the two heroes ever since. To Mary Jane, Karen Starr was "The Anti-Felicia Hardy". She knew Karen would do right for Peter and will take good care of him.

"I saw her on the cover of this month's Entrepreneur. She's really hitting the big time. Liz must be REAL jealous," the redhead chuckles.

"I think that ship had already sailed when you told her that Karen and I are together," Peter also chuckles.

Mary Jane picks up a small glass cup and begins to clean it with a rag, "Still, it must be nice to have one of the most powerful women on the planet as a girlfriend. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about when it comes to her tiger."

Peter sighs, "You would think, but you have no idea."

The redhead's face fell, "Oh? Care to enlighten me Mr. Parker?"

The spider hero puts his arms on the counter and lowers his head, "Well, for one thing, the fact that Karen is also a superhero already puts a target on her back, and the fact that she's with me puts an even BIGGER target on her back, because not only does she have her own enemies to deal with, but mine too. I mean, don't get me wrong, she is VERY powerful. She has all of Superman's powers for crying out loud, and the fact that she's not affected by Kryptonite since she's from another Earth gives her a slight edge. But there are still plenty of other ways to hurt a Kryptonian without having to resort to a glowing rock, and guys like Lex Luthor and Otto Octavius know this which scares me. The fact that Karen can be very headstrong and reckless doesn't help matters either. Therefore, I still feel like I have to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get herself into any trouble. If something were to happen to her and I wasn't there to stop it…I don't know what I would do. So yeah, even though she can hold her own, I still worry about her. Probably way more than I ever had to worry about you because of what she does on a daily basis. *chuckles* I guess you probably felt the same about me when WE used to date."

Mary Jane puts her hand on top of Peter's, forcing the spider hero to look up at his friend/former girlfriend, "And I'm sure Karen feels the same way as well."

Peter nods then smiles, "She doesn't show it, but I can see it in her eyes whenever we suit up that she does."

Mary Jane smiles at what Peter said, then she looks behind him and now has a questioned look on her face, "I'm pretty sure that girl is waaay too young to be here. I really need to hire a bouncer."

Peter looks behind him and his eyes widened, "You have GOT to be kidding me."

On the dance floor was a girl who looks to be about sixteen, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She's wearing a black leather jacket with a red and blue t shirt underneath complete with tight leather pants and black boots.

"I take it she's one of your students?" Mary Jane now asks.

Peter shakes his head, "I know her from my "other" line of work. You've heard about Supergirl right?"

"That blonde cheerleader that's all over the news?" the redhead asks.

"And Karen's multiversal counterpart," the spider hero finished.

Mary Jane looks over at the young girl who's dancing, "Come to think of it, she DOES look a lot like her. They could easily pass themselves off as sisters. That must be really awkward for you tiger, having a younger version of your girlfriend running around."

"You'll have to excuse me MJ, there's something I need to take care of," Peter says as he gets up from his seat. "It was nice talking to you again."

"Tell Karen I said hi." Mary Jane says back as she waves.

Kara Zor-El is dancing to some EDM music and was having a good time until she felt a hand grab her wrist. She opens her eyes and sees a man in his mid-twenties with brown hair and hazel eyes starting back at her with a rather stoic look on his face. Kara's eyes widened as she immediately recognizes the man…she also realizes that, judging by the look on his face, she is in a heap of trouble.

"Outside. Now," Peter says in a stern tone.

The two are now outside the club and are in a nearby alley so they can talk privately. Kara is leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and looking over to her side, waiting for Peter to scold her.

There was some silence for about a few seconds until the spider hero spoke up, "Does Clark know you're here?"

Kara scoffs.

"No, of course he doesn't. What was I thinking?" Peter says as he puts his hands on his hips, looks to his side and nods. "You do realize he's been worried sick about you. He called me and Karen the other day wondering where you were. I also noticed that Supergirl hasn't been seen in the last few weeks."

Kara rolls her eyes but refuses to look at Peter, "I take it your girlfriend told you about our little adventure on Kandor."

Peter noticed a hint of jealousy in her voice when she said, "Girlfriend," but he immediately ignores it, "She came home in a very foul mood. It took her a while but yeah, she told me everything. I gotta say I am VERY disappointed in you. Picking fights with thugs…"

"Those assholes started it," Kara says in defense.

"And you came REAL close to finishing it…permanently. You're lucky Karen was there to stop you at the last minute," Peter continues. "And then she told me how you left those people on that planet to be enslaved because some lady with Jedi mind tricks, her words not mine by the way, gave you the location of your home city of Argo. Please tell me that part wasn't true."

Kara doesn't say a word.

Peter sighs and facepalms, "So you're telling me that you're willing to let a whole colony face enslavement and possible genocide if it means learning the secret about something that may or may not exist? I mean, come on Kara, what were you thinking? You're better than this. I know you're still new to the hero game and all, but even you should know that that is NOT how we do things here. What if that woman was wrong? What if she just put you a wild goose chase just so she could get you out of the way? I know, you want to find out if there are still parts of Krypton still standing, but if you have to choose between your own personal problems and the lives of innocent people, the innocent people should ALWAYS come…"

"I NEVER WANTED TO BE HERO TO BEGIN WITH," Kara finally snaps. She had slammed her fist on a nearby trash bin causing a massive dent.

Peter was surprised by the young Kryptonian's sudden outburst.

"I didn't ask to come to this planet, I didn't ask for these powers, and I didn't ask to put on a damn cape and play hero. I didn't ask for ANY of this. Ever since I got here it's always, "Hey, you're cousin is one of Earth's greatest protectors, so you should be more like him," It's like every time I wear my family's coat of arms, everyone expects something from me. Why can't people just leave me alone and let me live my life?" Kara begins to slide down the wall and sits on the floor. She puts her hands over her face and begins sobbing.

Peter looks on at the poor kid in sympathy. It was at this moment that he was instantly reminded of the time when he first got his spider powers. The wall crawler walks over to the sobbing teenager and sits down next to her. He puts his arm over her shoulder and pulls her close to his chest. Kara begins to put her face on Peter's chest and continues to sob.

When she was able to calm down a little, Peter spoke up, "You know, I did tell you how I became Spider Man, but I never actually told you why didn't I?"

Kara looks up at Peter, tear streaks on her face, and she shakes her head.

The spider hero continues, "Well, believe it or not, when I was your age I was the exact same way. When I first got my powers, all I ever wanted was to show those creeps at school that I'm more than just some nerd. Putting on tights and fighting bad guys was never really my top priority. Instead, I wanted to use my newfound powers for my own personal gain, so I decided to get a career as a pro wrestler. It was short lived however, because I later found out that the fight promoter wasn't paying me as much as most of his other guys on the roster. I argued with him about it to which he was like, "That's not my problem." As I was leaving his office I noticed he was getting robbed. I let the robber go because I figured, "It wasn't my problem." Then a few days later, I find out that a burglar broke into my home. My aunt and uncle were home during that time. My Aunt May came out of it unscathed. Uncle Ben…wasn't as lucky. I was determined to bring my uncle's killer down, so I went after him. I was able to track him down but when I confronted him, and I saw his face, I find out it was the same crook that ran past me the other day. It was at that moment that I realized, that if I had stopped that guy when I had the chance, Uncle Ben would've still been alive. It was my fault that he was killed"

Kara looks up at Peter with a sympathetic look in her eyes, "You couldn't have known. How could you have known?"

Peter chuckles, "Yeah, Karen said the exact same thing when I told her this story. But here's the thing, the last time I saw Uncle Ben alive, we argued. He was trying to tell me something very important and what did I do? I just threw it in his face."

The young Kryptonian was now curious, "What did he tell you?"

Peter looks off into the distance, "It was a philosophy he said my father had. It was that if there are things in this world that you had to offer, things that you do well better than anyone else, things that you could do that helped people, or made people feel better about themselves, that it wasn't just a good idea to do those things, but that it was more of an obligation to do those things. Don't try to be something else, don't try to be less." He looks over at Kara. "You say you didn't ask for your powers, but any kid your age would KILL to do the things that you do. I should know, I teach a class full of them every day of the week. *chuckles* What you have is great power Kara, and with that must come great responsibility. Do you understand? Great responsibility."

The young Kryptonian nods her head in understanding and then leans back into the spider hero's chest.

She finally spoke, "Did you ever wish you just lived a normal life?"

"Every day," Peter replies.

"You think Karen will ever forgive me?"

"…I'll come back to you when she's forgiven me for forgetting Valentine's Day. Which was two years ago by the way. Man that woman can hold a grudge."

Kara chuckles, "I figured as much. She is me after all, and I'm not much of a forgiving person."

The two heroes continue to sit in silence until they heard police sirens and police cruisers passing by. They get up from their position and Peter begins to take off his sweatshirt, revealing the top part of his Spider Man costume.

"Hey," Kara spoke up.

Peter looks over at the teenager.

"I heard on one of the police scanners that it's Rhino and Hobgoblin causing trouble. Looks like you could use a hand on this one."

Peter begins to smile. He had gotten through to her. Which wasn't hard since he, Nightwing and Wonder Woman are the only three people she actually listens to for some reason. "You bring your costume?"

Kara puts her hands behind her back and looks over to the side in a sheepish fashion, "No."

The wall crawler shrugs, "Ah well, it's not like Supergirl ever wore a mask to begin with. Just follow my lead kid."

And with that, the two of them take off.

 _ **And that concludes the end of this chapter. So this one shot was inspired by Supergirl Vol 5. #12 (Which, believe it or not, was Atlee's first appearance) with references to issues 6-8 which was the story arc where Kara and Karen were on fake Kandor. Peter's "Great Power Speech" was of course taken from the Ultimate comics, because that is, without a doubt, my favorite version of the speech.**_

 _ **Be sure to leave a comment telling me what you think of this one shot. Until next time...**_


End file.
